Hanssen was an experienced Norwegian ice pilot who participated in three polar expeditions, all with Roald Amundsen. His autobiography includes his experiences as second mate in the search for the Northwest Passage in the Gjøa (1903-06), as a dog driver on the South Pole expedition in the Fram (1910-12), and as captain during the Northeast Passage expedition in the Maud (1918-23). He was one of the five who were first to reach the South Pole ahead of Robert Scott and his companions. This book is of particular significance as it is the only firsthand English-language account, other than Amundsen’s, of the South Pole expedition. Uncommon.